Mystic Danger
by Zane Orious
Summary: One seemingly harmless comment could spell disaster for the Mystic Green Ranger.
1. Chapter 1

I came up with this on a whim cause of a comment off of Code Busters (I think) when Vida goes "We should save them, even Xander!". I have a thing for Green Rangers...sue me.

PRMF

It had started with a comment none of them thought he'd heard. He'd been cleaning some of the CD cases and the Yellow and Pink Rangers had been behind it, giggling about something. He'd been about to ask what was going on when she'd said it.

"Man, sometimes Maddy and I think we'd be better off with a Hidiac as the Green Ranger." Came Vida's laughing voice.

"Oh I know, if he introduces himself to one more villain, Nick and I are gonna smack him." Chip's voice was next, which burst them both into giggles once more.

Xander's face paled, looking down as his friendly greeting was caught in his throat. Dropping the rag he was using, he turned on his heel, stomping his way from the store. Nick blinked as he watched the Green Ranger leave in such a huff. He moved over to Madison, who was stocking a nearby shelf.

"What's got him in a huff?" He asked, hopping up on the counter and sitting down.

"Who?" Maddy asked, looking up from her daze.

"Xander! He just stormed out of here, looked like someone had kicked him in the stomach."

Maddy frowned, looking towards where Xander had been cleaning. Just then Chip and Vida popped up, still giggling.

"Hey guys! You know why Xander just up and left? He was over there cleaning." Nick said, watching the two go from happy to alarmed in about two seconds.

"He was…over here?" Chip gulped.

"Just now?" Vida continued.

"Yeah, he was cleaning over there cause I had to stock the shelves here, what happened?" Maddy tilted her head to the side, wondering why her sis and Chip looked so concerned.

"Maddy! We were…we were talking. We were, well we were making fun of him." Chip answered, flushing almost the color of his bright red hair.

Nick blinked, narrowing his eyes "Why would you do that?" he asked, hopping off the counter.

"We didn't know he was there! I was just telling Chip of our conversation last night, on the phone." Vida explained, grabbing up the rag Xander had dropped and moving over to them.

"We have to find him and apologize." Chip stated, looking towards the door.

"Right, before he gets himself hurt." Nick added, frowning. He was concerned about Xander, in the scheme of things he wasn't Nick's all time favorite person, but he'd still saved him a few times, and for all his quirks he was an awesome fighter, and a good friend.

"Come on guys." Madison said, heading from the store, the owner sighing as he watched his workers leave him once again.

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	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the correction! It was Chip who said the "even Xander" part. But anyway, chapter two, be amazed!

PRMF

Xander sat down on a rock, wiping at his eyes to keep the tears from forming. He sighed, looking up at the sky. He'd always been taught to be friendly, outgoing. Maybe he was a little overly friendly sometimes, but he really believed that almost any altercation could be solved by talking out the problems. Sure it hadn't worked yet, but that just because the bad guys didn't give him half a chance before trying to blow him and the team up. He got up, walking from the rock dejectedly as he thought about them. He hadn't really gotten along with Nick, but that was just because Nick was new and he wasn't good at meeting new people. But he had always thought Vida and Madison and Chip considered him their friend. He'd just been proved wrong.

"I should turn over my Morpher and just vanish…" he muttered to himself.

"Why don't you turn it over to me, and I can help you with the vanishing part."

Xander turned in surprise, staring at the Bat Creature who was now behind him. He immediately backed up some more, making her cackle with laughter.

"Xander wasn't it? You look positively depressed, I hope you'll be somewhat of a challenge, I've been quite bored as of late."

"Necrolai! This is not a good time to bother me!" Xander yelled back at her, sounding much more confident than he felt. He quickly morphed into the Green Ranger, getting into a defensive pose and waiting for her to attack.

"Oh little Green Ranger, aren't you going to offer to talk me out of my intentions?" Necrolai laughed, her wings flaring open just a bit more.

Xander growled, launching himself forward, attacking the Bat creature with a flurry of kicks and punches, all of which Necrolai blocked while still cackling. Finally she got a nice hit on him, sending him flying into a tree. Xander hopped up, crying "Mystic Axe" and lunging at Necrolai again with his changed weapon, slashing at her. He actually got a hit on her, and she fell back, growling and her demeanor changing almost instantly.

"So, you aren't as pathetic as I thought." She said, her words laced with anger.

"Guess not." Xander countered, feeling a little bit better about himself. That didn't last long as she suddenly leapt into the air, slashing across his chest in a blur of black, hitting him six times in mere seconds. She landed, turning and watching as Xander gasped, crying out in pain as he collapsed to the ground, sparks running off from him, a huge explosion happening around him, causing him even more agony. His Mystic morph left him, leaving him weakly against the ground. He pushed himself up on hands and knees, feeling the Earth's warmth beneath him. He closed his eyes, trying to bring that warmth into him, but lost it as Necrolai grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up off the ground that would have saved him.

"I can't have you helping yourself now can I." she laughed. "You are now mine Ranger…and soon will be property of my Lord."

With that she vanished, bringing Xander with her. The clearing they'd been fighting in was left empty, a bit smoldering from the last major attack. A flutter from a tree nearby let it be known that someone had indeed been watching. A white owl took off into the sky, letting out a light shriek into the air before flapping frantically over the forest.

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	3. Chapter 3

"Man! We can't find Xander anywhere!" Chip grumbled, dropping into a chair inside Rootcore. Vida sighed, dropping into the chair next to him, leaning against his shoulder and crossing her arms in frustration.

"This is most troubling, I can not locate his signal in the forest." Udonna said, looking into the Crystal half orb that rested in the center of the massive room.

"Udonna! You have a visitor!" Clare's voice came from one of the hallways, causing the Sorceress to turn around. Nick and Madison came in, Madison smiling as she carried a snowy white owl into the room. "He was trying to get through the Dragon's mouth." She explained. "I thought I heard Clare's voice?" Udonna asked, frowning as she looked to the hallway once more.

"Here." Nick said with a small snicker, offering Udonna a small white mouse.

"Oh dear!" Udonna gasped, quickly saying a spell that freed the poor girl from her newest form.

"Thank you Udonna! I was trying to conjure him up a meal…it didn't work." Clare frowned as the owl hooted appreciatively at her. "You're welcome anyway!"

"Your welcome my dear, now then." Udonna patted Clare on the head, then beckoned the owl to her. The owl landed on her outer arm, hooting quickly. "Oh my, slow down my friend." Udonna said to the bird, causing the Ranger's to look at her oddly. The powerful sorceress ignored their looks, locking her eyes instead on the yellow ones of the owl in front of her.

"We can talk to animals?" Chip whispered to the others, Nick shrugging at his question.

"Maybe it's only her." Vida answered, sighing and looking down.

The Rangers all looked equally guilty, they knew it was mostly their fault that Xander had taken off like he had. Vida looked especially guilty, which elicited a small hug from Madison.

"Hey sis, don't sweat it. We'll find him, and we can all grovel for his forgiveness." Madison said with a small smile, though Vida didn't look any happier.

"I just…we all have our own quirks, what makes his any different and a reason to make fun of him?" she grumbled, mostly at herself.

"Well he does ask villains to talk to him." Chip pointed out.

"Yeah and you wander around with a pillow case pinned to your shirt back, what's your point?" Madison shot back at him, making the Yellow Ranger blush and look down. "I get it."

"Oh no…" Udonna gasped, faltering a bit, the owl hooting and taking off to land on the alcove above the main entrance.

"What is it Udonna?" Nick asked, pushing himself up and watching the Sorceress.

"Xander's been taken!" she said, fear in her voice.

"Taken? By who!" Vida exclaimed.

"Necrolai. She captured him in the forest, and took him underground." Udonna's face had paled considerably as she leaned heavily against the Xenotome's base.

"Oh man, if he was taken down there…what are we gonna do!" Madison lamented.

"We'll get him back. He'd do exactly the same for us, even if it meant he'd get hurt or die trying. C'mon team, we got a friend to find." Nick quickly ran out of Root Core, the others following right after him.

"Do you think they'll find him?" Clare asked, sounding frightened as she helped Udonna to a chair.

"They have to, if Xander's not found soon, I'm concerned he'll be seriously harmed or…" Udonna looked down, not able to finish the sentence. Clare gasped, collapsing into a chair next to Udonna, a hand covering her mouth.

"Poor Xander…" she said quietly, looking to the half orb they were sitting by now, watching and hoping it would change soon and show them all to be well.

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	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! I love writing this stuff for Xander, it's working out well. Lemme know what you think!

PRMF

Xander groaned in pain, his arms were bound tightly behind his back, and he looked ragged, like he'd been beaten a bit before being dropped on the ground. He was forced to his knees, his head pushed down so that his nose was about an inch from the cold cement floor. Necrolai had told him to stay in that position or else, and he hadn't really felt like finding out the or else part. He could hear an almost deafening chorus of screeching from what he'd gathered as monsters. He couldn't understand some of them, but those he could understand filled him with dread. They were all chanting the same thing, 'Death to the Ranger'. Not really comforting. His Morpher was missing, Necrolai had taken it, he felt cold and exhausted, he wanted to sleep, to just close his eyes and pretend the whole day was nothing but a terrible nightmare.

"So…this is the Green of the new Mystic Wizards." Xander winced as a gruff voice came over his head. He forced himself not to look up, he didn't recognize the voice, and that concerned him.

"Lord Morticon, he is not as pathetic as he looks." Necrolai's voice this time, making Xander glare at the floor from her barb. He hated the fact her voice laughed when she said it.

"Excellent work Necrolai…you have his Morpher no doubt." Xander heard this…Morticon's voice once again, how he yearned to look up. He finally risked it, raising his eyes but not his head, taking in the form of the Lord of the Undead. He quickly jerked his eyes down, making a face to himself. The guy looked like a chainsaw had attacked a metal tree trunk, and neither had won. Xander quickly looked down as Morticon shifted his gaze back to the Ranger, swallowing hard and hoping he wasn't about to be hit for looking up.

"So…my Dark Knight Koragg. What do you believe we should do with this Ranger?"

"Koragg! It was I who brought him to you, his fate should be in my hands!"

Xander felt sick, they were arguing about who got to torture or kill him. He almost started crying, but held back his emotions so he could continue to listen to what they were saying.

"Necrolai, hold your tongue. Koragg is my Knight, and will carry out the decree of Death upon him."

Xander heard Koragg cackling, he knew that voice well since they'd been fighting him since their first ever outing with Udonna. A pang in his chest made a tear fall to the dirty floor he was on, his memory shifting to his friends…or so called friends. He set his jaw firmly, pushing his mind out of that depressing thought line and refocusing on the squabbling of Necrolai and Koragg going on above him.

"He is mine! I should be the one to destroy him!"

"I am the Knight Wolf, I will destroy him as our Lord has ordered."

"…Fine. But I will be there if you mess up."

"I won't."

Lord Morticon's voice broke in finally, "Then it is settled. The Green Mystic Ranger will die by Koragg's blade at sunrise tomorrow." He chuckled, moving to Xander, sticking his foot under the boy's chin and raising his face to look up at him. "Once you're gone, it will be that much easier to defeat your Ranger friends."

Necrolai chuckled as she hauled Xander to his feet "Of course, with you gone it might be a bit harder without you holding them back."

Lord Morticon cackled at the stricken look on Xander's face as he was half dragged into the darkness of a hallway. Xander glared at Necrolai as she pulled him along, before looking down. Her words stung like hot coals, he said nothing as she chained him by his wrists and neck to the ancient bad smelling stone wall. "Good night Ranger…" Necrolai purred at him, slamming the cell door shut, leaving Xander to his thoughts.

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	5. Chapter 5

Morning was quiet in the mystic forest. All except for the large circle of Hidiac's dancing around, forming the ring to keep Xander in. Not that Xander could go anywhere considering he was blindfolded in a kneeling position with his hands once again chained behind his back. He'd been dragged out of that cold cell Necrolai had put him in hours ago. He figured the sun wasn't up yet, he couldn't feel any warmth on any side of him, and though he was blindfolded, he figured he'd see some kind of light beaming through the cloth.

Xander listened carefully to the rather subdued enthusiasm of the Hidiacs around him, it sounded like they were just watching him for now; he hadn't heard a voice he recognized, which meant Necrolai and Koragg were nowhere to be found. He sighed in small relief; though he realized the second they did arrive he'd be killed. Whatever he was kneeling on was cold and hard, he figured it was something metallic. Quite suddenly the noise from the Hidiac army became deafening, pulling Xander from his quiet wonderment and putting him very harshly back into reality. The blindfold was removed from his eyes, and he glared at Koragg standing in in front of him, the light from the slowly rising sun hurting his eyes.

"Green Ranger, you are to be executed when the sun fully rises above the trees. If you have any last words, then I will let you speak them now." Koragg said to him, tossing the blindfold he'd pulled off of Xander to the side.

"Yeah I got somethin' to say. Let me go or you'll regret it." Xander snapped at him.

"Oh I highly doubt that Ranger." Xander winced as Necrolai's voice purred from in back of him. He glanced at the sky; the sun was just starting to peak at the top of the trees. He looked back down as Koragg circled him slowly. Xander could feel the sun warming his body, but while it felt good on his cold stiff joints, he knew every ounce of warmth meant he was closer to death. Suddenly he tensed; Koragg's sword was resting on the back of his neck.

"Well Ranger, you were a valiant fighter. You die with honor." Koragg told him, raising the blade slowly in the air.

Xander closed his eyes, whispering "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough guys." Into the air as he waited for the blow to come. Suddenly red blaster fire came out of nowhere. Xander looked up in bewilderment as Koragg cried out, flying back and landing ten feet away from him. A blur of yellow and red suddenly ran past Xander, and the bindings holding his wrists behind him were broken in a brilliant flash of yellow lightning. Xander stumbled up, still not registering what had just happened. Necrolai was next; she too was shocked, and wasn't prepared for when the pink and blue blurs attacked, knocking her back and stealing Xander's Morpher from her. Suddenly the Rangers, still morphed, landed next to Xander. They demorphed, Vida nearly tackling Xander in a relieved hug.

Xander stared at his team mates, his eyes popping in disbelief "You…you guys came? You guys found me? Am…am I dreaming?" Chip scoffed, "Of course we came and found you! Xander you're our friend, and we'd do anything to keep you safe."

"Seriously Xander, you aren't dreaming." Vida said, giving him an extra squeeze in her hug. Maddy placed a hand on his shoulder "Xander, we're really sorry for what happened earlier…friends shouldn't say such mean things about other friends."

"Maddy's right, there's no reason for it, and we're all just…really sorry man." Nick chimed in, holding up Xander's Morpher which Vida had given him before. "What do you say?"

Xander paused for a moment, looking up at Nick and then at the rest of his friends. He let out his usual huge grin, picking up the Morpher "What do I say? Let's do this!" the others grinned, and then came up into a V pattern with Xander at the front. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" they all cried in unison, becoming the Mystic Force Power Rangers once more.

"No!" Necrolai screamed in frustration, standing behind the army of Hidiac's she'd just called. Koragg was less talkative, but if his face plate could give off emotions, he was one very angry Dark Knight. "Come…this isn't over…but this is not our fight anymore." He said to Necrolai, who glared at him. She knew he was right, but she also knew with the Rangers so empowered, they'd stop at nothing to defeat the two of them. She sighed; Morticon was not going to be happy about this.

PRMF

Udonna had set up a sort of party for the Rangers when they returned. Claire was dancing happily to forest sounding music and there were many types of food set out, most of them looked like they had been made by stuff in the forest. Xander collapsed in a chair happily, he was still in some pain and still completely exhausted, but he felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Nick sat down next to him, and together they watched Chip follow Claire's dancing moves to see how they were done, and Vida go over to where the music was being played to see if she could get it to play something more modern. Maddy had gone to help Udonna bring more food out for them.

"Nick…thanks for what you said." Xander finally spoke.

"Why are you thanking me? It was the truth, you're our friend, and even though you are a little weird, I don't think I'd want you any other way." Nick said back with a big smile.

Xander grinned at him, chuckling and looking back at his other friends. "Yeah…I don't think I'd want me any other way either."

THE END


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